The present invention relates generally to apparatus for facilitating inspection and repair of magnetic and other recording tape cassettes, particularly cassettes of the type having a reel-to-reel tape storage and travel system self-contained within a cassette housing.
The consumer electronics industry has expanded immensely in recent years, due in significant part to the introduction of various audio and audio-visual equipment designed for both playback and recording of audio and/or video electronic signals on magnetic tape. The development and refinement of tape cassettes having a cartridge-type housing wherein a length of recording tape is permanently stored on a pair of rotatable reels, has greatly advanced the convenience and popularity of this equipment. Cassettes of various sizes and tape widths of this basic construction now predominate both the audio and audio-visual segments of the consumer electronics market.
One of the drawbacks, however, of recording tape cassettes is the difficulty in identifying the cause of and repairing malfunctions in the cassette operation, since the cassette housing substantially encloses the tape reels and other working components of the cassette. It is therefore typical to disassemble the housing of a malfunctioning tape cassette to locate and correct operational problems. While it is usually possible to make necessary repairs in this manner, the disassembly and reassembly of the cassette housing can be a time consuming and relatively tedious task and, moreover, is unnecessary when the operational problem is the result of twists, wrinkles, tears, cuts, etc. in the recording tape itself, which could be repaired without housing disassembly by withdrawing the affected section of tape from the housing, splicing or otherwise suitably repairing the tape section, and then properly rewinding the tape onto the reels within the housing. Such a tape withdrawal procedure, however, would itself be difficult to perform because no device or means is currently available by which recording tape can be withdrawn and advanced in an organized fashion outside the cassette housing for inspection and repair procedures.
One device which is currently available on the market is a splicing device produced by Total Video Supply (TVS) of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., under the trademark "TAPE-MENDER," particularly designed for use with audio-visual tape cassettes. Cassettes of this type are conventionally provided with a pivoted tape cover on the cassette housing which normally covers a portion of the tape extending between the tape reels but may be pivoted to an open position for normal operation of the cassette to expose the tape for recording and/or playback. Also, such cassettes are conventionally provided with an internal clutch mechanism which normally locks the tape reels against rotation but is releasable by engagement through an access opening in the cassette housing to allow reel rotation for cassette recording and playback operation. To accommodate these cassette features, the TVS device provides a cassette support surface having a slotted recess formed therein for holding the tape cover in its open position to expose the tape within the housing extending between the reels, and the device further includes a pin to be inserted into the housing into engagement with the clutch mechanism to enable reel rotation. A separate wheel may then be engaged with one or the other of the reels to actuate forward or reverse movement of the tape between the reels as desired, thereby enabling the tape movement within the housing to be observed. However, other than for purposes of performing splicing operations, the device does not contemplate the withdrawal of the tape from the cassette housing and therefore is not designed for traveling movement of the tape along an inspection path externally of the housing as the tape is being advanced by the hand wheel.